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A powerfully simple, must-have manifesto on money with more than 90 wealth-building rules from the Today show’s finance guru.
In a time of great financial uncertainty, this is the book everyone must read. The bottom line: Money is simple—people make it complicated. Now, bestselling personal finance author Jean Chatzky has distilled this simplicity into a smart, immediate, and entertaining set of rules that will change readers’ financial lives.
Chatzky removes the stress associated with all things money and says it clearly: Readers who follow these basic yet crucial approaches to spending, saving, investing, increasing their income, and most importantly, protecting what they have, will build the wealth and financial stability they’ve been dreaming of. Chatzky’s advice is reassuring, straightforward, and often counterintuitive, including:
Written in her trademark warm, witty voice, and with a special Dos and Don’ts section, this is the only book readers really need to achieve true financial health and happiness.
Introduction viii
Part 1 Make Money 1
Part 2 Save Money 13
Part 3 Avoid (Most) Debt 31
Part 4 Spend Wisely 41
Part 5 Invest for Tomorrow 63
Part 6 Cover Your Assets 89
Part 7 Do's and Don'ts 103
The Last Word 111
Acknowledgments 113
Jean Chatzky may not be a CPA but she has impressive credentials: she is the financial editor for the Today Show on NBC, and a personal finance contributor for Prevention and Newsweek magazines. AND she has written two very popular books that address the masses (that is us, fellow readers) with clipped, considered, wise, informed and very useful rule for making money. While there are many similar themed books on the market at this tenuous economic time, this book instead of lecturing the reader to offer background for the development of financial advice simply gives a major rule on every page - graphically designed with varying fonts and style and some illustrations that make the book a very fast read. BUT, there is so much fine advice here that this book should remain on everyone's desk as we plow through changing the way we think about, make, save, and keep our money.
Chatzky opens her book with an introduction that includes two important principles: #1 Personal finance is more personal than it is finance and #2 Money is simple -people make it complicated. She then divides her book into seven parts: Make Money; Save Money; Avoid (Most) Debt; Spend Wisely; Invest for tomorrow; Cover Your Assets; and the final Do's and Don'ts. Sprinkled through these sing page admonishments are some eye-opening thoughts - what makes us spend, why (and why we shouldn't) live beyond our means, how truly simple it is to save a bit of money each month, use cash and not credit or debit cards, do online banking so that you know where you stand every day with the click of a mouse, panning for retirement (and not touching that money saved!), how to think about investments...on and on.
One of the reasons this book is so immediately accessible and helpful is that Jean Chatzky hits the nail on the head for all the little bloops we each commit. She spells it out very succinctly then moves on to more advice. She closes this exceptionally helpful little book with the following: 'Finally, try to remember that in most cases, money doesn't cause your problems. You may have a work problem, an idea problem. or a relationship problem. You don't have a money problem. But lack of money is the result. Focus on understanding and then unwinding the underlying issue - even if you didn't do anything wrong to cause it....Then use the rules - and the guiding principles - to help you find your way.' She wastes no time, but makes things very clear.
Grady Harp
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 15, 2012
Don't waste your $12 on this pamphlet. There is very little useful information in this "book" that took 20 minutes to read from cover to cover.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Martina21
Posted April 17, 2012
I found this book through a health magazine that had excerpts and the information was easy to read, made total sense and I have since read it and shared it :-)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 2, 2012
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Posted April 21, 2012
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Posted April 12, 2012
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Overview
A powerfully simple, must-have manifesto on money with more than 90 wealth-building rules from the Today show’s finance guru.
In a time of great financial uncertainty, this is the book everyone must read. The bottom line: Money is simple—people make it complicated. Now, bestselling personal finance author Jean Chatzky has distilled this simplicity into a smart, immediate, and entertaining set of rules that will change readers’ financial lives.
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